Improvement in machines for straightening rallroad-ralls and other bars



v ZSheets-Sheet I. W. B. CHISHOLM, J. WALKER & E. MARTIN. MACHINE FORSTRAIGHTENING RAILROAD RAILS AND DTHEIR BARS Patented Sept.19, 1876.

Wikmsms ZSheets-SheetZ. W. B. CHISHOLM. J. WALKER & E. MARTIN. MACHINEFOR STRAIGHTENING RAILROAD RAILS AND OTHER BARS No.18Z,30Z. PatentedSept.19, 1876.

C2 al c2 A B A E i A5 I l I A N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER.WASI'UNGTOH. D Cv WILSON B. oHIsHoLM, JoHN WALKER, AND EDWIN MARTIN, 0FoLevELNNn,

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR STRAIGHTENING RAlLRdAD-RAILS AND OTHEfleAiis.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,302 dated September19, 1876; application August 2, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILSON B. GHIsHoLM, JOHN WALKER, and EDWIN MARTIN,ofUleveland, county of Ouyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented ordiscovered a; new and useful Improvement in Straightening-Machine; andWe do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhichlike letters indicating like parts- Figure 1, Sheet l,is a sideperspective view of our improved machine; Fig. 2, Sheet 2--a verticalsectional view of the horizontal rolls, and a side elevation of thevertical rolls, and of a railroad-rail passing through-illustrates inpart their relative arrangement and operation. Fig. 3 is a top or planview of the de' vices of Fig. 2 5 and Figs. at and 5 are transversevertical sections through the machine in the line a; m of Fig. 3,showing the vertical rolls and their IDQELUS'Of adjustment. While ourinvention in some of its features is applicable to machines forstraightening rods and bars of irregular cross'section generally, wehave especially designed and con- Structed it for use in. thestraightening of railroad-rails, and other irons of allied shapes, andour description will be chiefly, if not wholly, confined to suchconstruction and use, since it will come within the knowledge of theskilled mechanic to embody its useful and important elements in machinesfor straightening other irregular sectional shapes.

In our machine, as shown, we employ nine rolls, of which six arehorizontal and three vertical. Ofthe horizontalrolls four,'arranged inpairs, A A and A A are, alternately, feed and delivery rolls. One ofthese rolls, A along with the other two horizontal rolls B B constituteone set of straightening-rolls, and are arranged in accordance withWellknown laws for the removal of vertical curves or bends in the rail2. The other threerolls, D D D are vertical rolls, and are arranged inlike manner for the removal of lateral curves, bends, or deflections.The action of a series of three rolls thus arranged is so well known asnot to require a further description. The rolls A A .A A B are mountedin hearing blocks or frames h, in housings H, of anysuitableconstruction, and the upper ones are vertically adjustable inthe usual way, and for the usual purposes, by means of anydesi'redarrangement of adj Listing-screws h. The feed and delivery rolls A A A Aare geared to run by a common positive motion, imparted to them througha driving-shaft, b, and lines .of gearing and shafting b 11 b 9. Theshafts b are, for convenience, prolongations of the necks of the rolls AA or, if the roll-bodies are made separate, they are secured on the sameshafts. The pinionsgg are so shaped as to mesh and operate at all pointswithin the limits of the necessary adjustments of the upper rolls A AThe rolls B B run by frictional contact with the rail passing through.

Between the end rolls thus described, and on the base or foundation W ofthe machine, we fix on opposite sides of the line of feed a pair ofrest-blocks, P, with over-projecting lips P and vertical posts P In oneof these we arrange the base-plate R of an adjustable sliding frame, R,having itsinner end' boxed out, and having the inner sideof the boxopen, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The upper and lower sides of the boxare'elongated, so as to form bearings r r forthe shafts. d d, on whichthe rolls D D are loosely arrangedthat is, are arranged so that therolls may revolve independently of their shafts. These shafts are madewith screw-threads at their upper ends, as shown in Fig. 5, and suchthreaded parts of the shafts play through tapped nuts fixedly set orsecured on or in the upper bearings r; Above the bearings the shafts aremade long enough for adjusting pinions a to be secured thereto. Mountedon the same box is the intermediate pinion a operated by the hand-wheelM. The frame R, carrying with it the rolls D D ,is adjusted to and fromthe line of feed by an adjustingscrew, 10. On the other side of the lineof feed, and in the other rest'block P, we arrange the like base-plate Sof a like adjustable sliding frame, S, boxed out, and with its inner endopen in like manner, as already described with reference to the frame R,and as also illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The upper andlower parts orsides of this box form bear ings s s for the shaft (P, on which thethird vertical roll D1 is loosely arranged, as before described. And theupper end of this shaft is in like manner threaded, Fig. 5, and thethreaded part plays .in a tapped nut securely set in or on the upperbearing 8. On the upper end of this shaft is secured the pinion c. Thisframe S, with its roller D is also adjustable to and from the line offeed by an adjusting-screw, q, and, as the chief lateral adjustment isintended to be secured by varying the position of this single roll, weadd a crank, (1 for ease and facility in effecting the desired lateraladjustment. I

The pinions a, a, and c, all mesh into the intermediate pinion a and theteeth of these pinions, particularly of a and, c, are preferably soshaped that they' will mesh at all times Within the necessary limits ofthe lateral adjustments of the vertical rolls to and from each other.Also the intermediate pinion a is made with teeth of such length as tobe adapted to engage the teeth of the pinions a a c at all points of thenecessary vertical adjustments of the rolls D D D The horizontalrollsare, preferably, grooved, as shown, and the vertical rolls necessarilyso,

or, at least, made of different diameters in different parts, the depthof the groove, or

the difference in diameter, being equal in each roll to one-half thedifference between the breadth of the base and tread of the rail. Suchdifferences of diameter will vary with the irregular shape of the bar tobe straightened; and to this end the faces of the rolls may have any ofthe forms known in ironrolling or included under the term moldings.

Our invention is more particularly designed to enable rails to beinverted for passing through the machine, as well as to be run throughwith the tread up, so that going through tread up or base up it may beengaged on all sides, and all crowning-places be brought down straight.

In Figs. 2 and 4 we have represented the rail z as going through in itsusual position.

The horizontal rolls are adjusted in-the usual way, so as to beoperative in removing Vertical crowning curvatures or crooks. Duringthis pass the vertical rolls are to be adjusted, as in Fig. 4, so thatthe grooves 0 shall engage the edges of the base of the rail, and theflanges t the tread.

If, now, as frequently occurs, the rail has curvatures the reverse ofthose which the arrangement of rolls set forth is adapted to remove atthe first pass, it then becomes nec essary to invert the rail and run itthrough again. By having both sets of end feed and delivery rolls gearedto run with a common motion we are enabled to reverse the power, (in anyof the ordinary ways,) and run the machine back as easily andeffectually as forward, and so, after inverting the rail, pass it back,as illustrated in Fig. 5; but before doing so the vertical rolls are tobe readjusted, so that the flanges e will engage the sides of the treadof the rail, while the groove e engages the edges of the base, asbefore, the horizontal rolls performing their function in either case inthe same way. This operation is continued till the rail becomesperfectly straight, or as nearly so as practical use requires.

So far as relates to the vertical adjustment of the vertical rolls, it'is obvious that other means of adjustment may be employed, and suchrolls may be made separately adjustable, instead of adjustablesimultaneously, by a single motion. It is also evident that the verticalrolls described might. be made to work horizontally, and the horizontalrolls vertically, and such, as well as other changes, which I do notchange substantially-the mode of opertion, we include within ourinvention.

What we claim is- 1. In a machine for straightening metallic rods,rails, and bars, of irregular shape in cross-section, a series ofgrooved, collared, or molded rolls, at least three in number, ondifferent sides of the line of feed, adjustable in the direction oftheir length with reference to the inversion of the rod, rail, or bar,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The grooved rolls D D D ,in combination with mechanism, substantiallyas described, for effecting the simultaneous endwise adj usty ment ofthe rolls. 1

3. The combination of end feed and delivery rolls, horizontalstraighteningrolls, and endwise adjustable vertical straightening-rolls, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we nave hereunto set our hands.

WILSON B. OHISHOLM. JOHN WALKER. EDWIN MARTIN.

Witnesses:

W. E. WAY,

R. O. HAYES.

